When I was a little girl my family and I were on a trip to England with my church. I sang for our choir and we’d been invited to tour and perform in cathedrals like Ely and Westminister. It was my first time out of the country, we got to bring my grandparents, and it was over my 9th birthday. My parents treated me to a special celebration including shopping and tea at Harrods as well as a day at Wimbledon. Leading up to that day, tennis didn’t really mean much to me but I’d been told Princess Diana might be there and it seemed pretty cool. I will never forget our day there and I asked for tennis lessons as soon as we got home. From then on out I played tennis every year, all year. I love that tennis is a sport that you can play somewhat by yourself but still has a social aspect to it, especially if you dip your toe into doubles. I enjoy that it is something Curtis and I can play on a date night and that we can eventually play with our girls as a family. Tennis is a sport that encourages more of a cardiovascular workout than anyone would suspect from the cute little outfits associated. And after a good sweat and friendly competition, there’s nothing like cooling down with a buddy, while sipping on some iced tea.
My parents used to tell me that tennis is a “lifetime sport” and so far I’ve found that to be true. I enjoyed this New York Times article on the health benefits of not only the physical components of the game but also the social aspect. While at college I played through my sorority intramural and I got to meet and spend time with people I might not otherwise have. After I graduated and had a less flexible schedule, I hit the courts more rarely and before long it had been years since I’d played. After I had Margaret I craved enjoyable ways to be active and got back into tennis. I was so thrilled to see that it was like riding a bike – I picked right back up where I’d left off. Then I tore my ACL and Meniscus while skiing and between the surgery and recovery I was sidelined from many things, including tennis. By the time I was cleared to play I was pregnant again, and as this post goes into, I’m barely a functioning human while pregnant, thanks to my HG. This past year I dipped my toe back into tennis with some group play and private lessons and it feels so good to be back out on the court. Plus, in this time of physical distancing, tennis is practically perfect for that!
We currently have Margaret in lessons and I can’t say she loves it, but she does have fun when she’s with her friends, which was such a huge part of it for me growing up and still is! My friend and tennis partner Sarah Tucker shared her tennis favorites on this blog post here. And her two boys play with Margaret and one day I can totally see our little ones calling each other to play some after school sets! If we get baby Catherine up to par, they can even play doubles! Whether it becomes her favorite thing or not, we’ve explained to Margaret that tennis is our family sport and that we’re all going to learn how to play to have this activity in common. Will I be pushing her like a stage mom to be the next Venus or Serena Williams? No, of course not! But I think a lot of good can come from families who nurture an activity that can be shared.
We play primarily at our country club, but are also thankful for the option of community courts. If you’re interested in getting started you can read more about how to do so and look for courts near you by following this link. Also, the USTA published these guidelines for tennis that you might find helpful.
I’m linking a bunch of my favorite tennis items below for me and Margaret. I hope you get on the court and LOVE tennis like we do!
